Cedar Grove residents Courtney and Brian Coffin and Sandy Fischer, of Montclair, try on some festive costumes to prepare for Friday's "Santa Night."

For centuries, Santa and his sleigh have confounded millions with the ability to make a near-infinite amount of stops in a single night. On Friday, the New Jersey Cervical Cancer Coalition, donning elf costumes, will look to emulate the annual voyage, stopping at a dozen venues in six hours for one cause.

The coalition, led by Chapter President Sandy Fischer of Montclair and Events Coordinator Courtney Coffin of Cedar Grove, will be spreading Christmas cheer to area bars and restaurants through the of singing Christmas carols during "Santa Night." The group of over 20 adults uses caroling to solicit donations and distribute information on cervical cancer - which they refer to as a killer in need of more public attention.

Cervical cancer hit close to home for both Fischer and Coffin. Years ago, Fischer had a bout with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that had advanced to within one stage of cervical cancer. Successful in beating the virus, Fischer asked her sisters to have themselves screened on a regular basis. One sister did not.

Over the course of just four months in 2007, Fischer's sister and Coffin's friend, Cary Anne, was diagnosed with and lost her battle with cervical cancer. She was just 36 years old.

In 2009, the New Jersey chapter of the National Cervical Cancer Coalition was founded in the late woman's honor.

"It started out as us trying to heal ourselves," Fischer says of her and Coffin's involvement in the coalition - the brainchild of another of Cary Anne's friends. "It has snowballed."

The coalition, Coffin says, now has less to do with memorializing her sister and more to do with trying to eradicate cervical cancer, often caused by strains of HPV - a virus contracted through sexual contact.

On top of getting the word out to a female population more conscious of breast cancer, the coalition raises funds through various fundraisers such as tricky trays and an annual 5K run that celebrated its third installment earlier this year.

Through the money raised, the coalition is able to make donations such as the $5,000 given to the National Family and Reproductive Health Association earlier this year. The donation, according to Fischer, will provide 300 women with free HPV screenings.

Of the events Fischer and company host during the year, "Santa Night" has become both the most successful and most fun, she says.

Something to talk about

When Santa Night began three years ago, the idea of dressing in an elf outfit and singing Christmas carols to strangers was a tad on the nerve-wracking side, Fischer recalls. The coalition president quickly stopped at the bar for some liquid courage in the form of a Cosmopolitan. A tradition was born.

The collection of 20 elves have taken to renting a bus offered at a discounted rate from Lakeview Bus Lines where they, filled with Christmas spirits, hop from venue to venue for impromptu caroling sessions.

Visits typically start with Coffin's Santa suit-clad husband, Brian, explaining to patrons why two dozen grown adults in tights are standing before them. Then, the group carols for 10 minutes or so while collecting donations. Participating bars and restaurants are stocked with informational posters, says Fischer, for those patrons who have additional questions.

As the night goes on, Coffin jokes, the quality of caroling goes from bad to worse.

Last year, for instance, Santa and his elves caught themselves singing two different songs at the same time.

The overall silliness of the scene plays into their overall goal, however, as patrons are more likely to remember funny, singing elves than your typical pamphlet.

Anyway to get people talking about cervical cancer and HPV is worthwhile, Fischer says.

"We're ridiculous," Coffin adds. "You have to be in order to go out and do this at our age."

The event's growing success is evident, Fischer says, in the fact that elves have already raised $3,000 on their own, before a note has been sung.

As Santa Night expands in both scale and number of volunteers, Fischer says the event may need a second bus next year so that two separate groups may cover Bloomfield Avenue from Glen Ridge to the Caldwells.